In recent times, the Internet has gained universal acceptance. A global network connecting millions of computers, the Internet is now the “ultimate” place for interaction between providers and consumers of information based services. Currently, an estimated 560 million people are online (roughly 9% of the world population) and roughly 147 million web sites are provided on the Internet.
Consuming is extremely easy: with an Internet connection and a freely available browser, even novice consumers can interact with provider web sites. Providing web sites, on the other hand, requires specialized skills. Individuals typically use a class of tools known as desktop authoring tools, such as Microsoft FrontPage™ and Macromedia DreamWeaver™, or another class of tools known as remote authoring tools, such as Trellix Web Express™ and Yahoo Store™. Businesses typically hire professional web site companies or developers.
Provider's sites vary in technical complexity. Simpler sites, generally known as static sites, comprise a set of associated files such as image files and text files that contain HTML formatted text. These files are provided “as is” in the form of a web page when requested by a consumer. More complicated sites, generally known as dynamic sites, utilize processes on the server to alter, create, or aggregate files and often non-file data such as that in databases. The results of these processes are sent in the form of a web page when requested by the consumers. In typical dynamic sites, no one file on the server contains the web page.
During the web site creation process, providers' site creators design and engineer the site architecture: navigation, branding, layout, client script and, for dynamic sites, the server-side processes. Typically, once the creation process is complete, providers infrequently change these architectural elements. Frequent changes to the site are often necessary, but these are changes to text, images, links and other “content” contained within the architecture. These content edits are typically driven by daily business needs and, because they do not change the site architecture, would not generally require specialized skills. Typically, however, because the content is intermingled with the architecture, it is necessary to use specialized skills or tools.
Two current content editing paradigms are referred to as desktop authoring tools and remote authoring tools.
Desktop authoring tools, such as Microsoft FrontPage™ and Macromedia DreamWeaver™, typically allow an author to: 1) create a new file or retrieve a copy of a file from the server via FTP; 2) edit the file contents; and then 3) transfer the file via FTP to the server, replacing an existing file with the edited file if appropriate. They assist in the editing process with many specialized tools and interfaces for creating HTML and script and for previewing the files locally. Some of these tools offer a WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) interface which assists authors with the technical difficulties involved in the editing process by allowing them to edit in a word-processing-like style: authors type and use toolbars to edit rendered web pages, while the WYSIWYG-enabled tool rapidly creates the HTML and re-renders it.
In order for the client to retrieve and update files, using current desktop authoring tools, the server must allow the client read/write access to the server file system. This creates security, privacy, and corruption issues.
Because current desktop authoring tools retrieve, edit, and update entire files, restricting edits to content portions of files is often a difficult task: for example a content editor cannot easily be restricted from editing architectural elements of files that contain intermingled content and architecture. This exposes the site to corruption during each editing session.
Editing dynamic sites using current desktop authoring tool is also difficult. Editors may need to trace the origin of the web page content from several files. Additionally, they must understand the scripting languages and the interaction they dictate between the HTML that they control and other files, processes, and data in order to change the resulting web page. Typically, server-side processing cannot be executed on the client machine and it is impossible to preview edits. Additionally, desktop authoring tools cannot access or edit non-file data sources which are common on dynamic sites.
Remote authoring tools provide an alternative content authoring paradigm to desktop authoring tools. Remote authoring tools typically take one of three general forms: pre-made form-based administration tools such as Trellix Web Express™ and Yahoo Store™; custom made form-based administration tools; or content management systems such as VIGNETTE™ or INTERWOVEN TEAMSITE™.
Typically, remote authoring tools comprise a password restricted web site on the same server as the web site to be edited. The tool contains areas corresponding to all anticipated editing needs of authors. Authors log in to the tool and navigate to an appropriate form. For example, a form to change the title of an article on a web site article list may comprise a text input box labeled “Article Title” and an associated submit control labeled “Update Title”. The form is submitted to the server where server-side scripts process it and execute the edits.
Current remote authoring tools require editors to make edits to the web site from within an interface which is not the web site. Typically, in order to change a web page visible in the browser, an editor must leave the page, enter the remote authoring tool, select and complete the correct task forms, and then return to the web page to view the changes. Some content management solutions allow editors to edit within what appears to be the web site as provided to consumers, but this is accomplished only by deep embedding in that process, as mentioned below.
Remote authoring tools advantageously prevent clients from accessing the server file system. Also, because remote authoring tools reside centrally on the server, they can edit and process dynamic site components, set user and group level permissions, and implement other features involving multiple clients.
However, current remote authoring tools either require great resources to implement or impose great limitations on the architecture of the web site they administer.
Pre-made administration tools require providers to create or alter their site to fit the tool. Typically this means creating the site within the tool's template-based site-building component, and may be impractical for providers with existing sites.
Custom administration tools are built to support a specific web site and often take as much time and more technical skill to build and modify as the web sites that they are designed to administer.
Content management systems are more flexible than pre-made administration tools without requiring the build efforts of custom administration tools. They require providers to build their site within a complex but flexible system and/or deeply embed the tool within the site. In addition to the time and technology required to implement and support these complex tools, they typically require providers to integrate the tool into the processes used to provide the web site.